Does Not Accept Homo Blood

10 March, 2007 - 9:30am — FearNotTheQueer

I was all excited for this month to come, I was going to turn 16 and two weeks later donate blood at my school's annual bllod drive. My mum has told me I have an odd blood type and that I would be doing a good deed to donate to save others. So I sign up to be on the planning commity and add something wonderful to my college application when a crushing blow is dealt to my head: Gays and Lesbians are not permitted to donate blood. Now in a counrty like the USA where every 3 minutes someone is in a fatal car crash and blood banks having a shortage of blood, I cannot fathom how Red Cross could be homophobic. My blood is no different from a heterosexual's. You will not become gay because you have my blood, they proved that when people feared blood from blacks. Blood does not determine anything when it comes to sexuality.
I'm now planning a protest should my administration choose not to listen to what I and others will be saying to them. This discrimination will not be tolerated, I dare them to suspend me. I have my rights and I spit on the person who feels they can take them away! I am so angry! FUCK!!!!

Comments

they put that shit into effect when AIDS/HIV first appeared on the scene big time in the 80's, because gays at the beginning of the disease were proven to have a higher exposure and or infection to Aids. Yeah, it's bullshit, and there is already a current controversy over it going on either in california or in florida...but yeah, the reasoning behind it is a bunch of bull.

Mental wounds not healing, driving me insane, i'm goin' off the rails on a crazy train- the ozzman

I have never donated blood, but i have been considering it for a while. I had never heard anything about donor clinics rejecting gay people, so i looked it up on the Canadian Blood Services website. Sure enough, here is what it said under the list of reasons for "Indefinite Deferral":

"HIV High Risk Activities:

There are a number of high-risk activities for acquiring HIV/AIDS that can indefinitely defer people from giving blood. People who have taken money or drugs for sex, since 1977 cannot give blood.

All men who have had sex with another man, even once, since 1977 are indefinitely deferred. This is based on current scientific knowledge and statistical information that shows that men who have had sex with other men are at greater risk for HIV/AIDS infection than other people.

Intravenous use of illegal street drugs/narcotics also constitutes a HIV high risk activity and results in indefinite deferral."

This is ridiculous. Not only are they excluding gay men, they are also placing them in the same general category as prostitutes and junkies. This is so totally mind-boggling... i mean, how can a country that legalizes gay marriage still have a major public health organization that considers gay men to be as high-risk as smack-shootin' ho's? Blood services are amazing and save so many lives, but it's sad their policies appear homophobic. I am going to look into it and see if anything is being done to change this in Canadian provinces.
I wont be able to donate blood for a few months anyway, because I had piercings done in December and you have to wait 6 months after being pierced/tatooed before you can donate because of the risk of Hepatitis C.

This is bull crap. People say that gay men are most likely to have AIDS, which is why they can't donate blood. However, anybody can contract HIV/AIDS. In fact, studies have proven that it's mostly straight women who get infected with it nowadays. What is the government going to do next, not let any woman who has ever had sex with a man donate blood? It's insane.

"Women in rubber will ALWAYS be flirting with me!" --Maureen in the musical RENT

Because Gay men are the sub group that have the highest rate of HIV tansmission, its far to say that a gays man's blood is at higher risk of carrying HIV undetected. so i can see their point, but still it isn't just a GAY DISEASE, everyone in the community is at risk, but we, the homosexual males, are the ones that are seen as dangerous. people are practising unsafe sex ALL THE TIME - barebacking and "Bug chasing" are popular sexual practises here in australia. the epidemic has reached its highest point in years, and we need to ask ourselves why? awareness of HIV/AIDS should be a prominent feature in society, yet homophobia and discrimination is rife, so the information doesn't get out there.

i'm sorry, i went off topic, but we need to address these issues now.

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